^^^^^ 



3~oW YU^U IU Te^stejc 



STA VIATOR, HEROEM CALCAS! 



IN REMEMBRANCE OF 



brevet colonel tr. s. & n. t. vol. 

DIED 12th APRIL, 187S, at 4.55 A. 31. 




j. r . 



ii u t n , 



PRINTER, 372 
1874. 



PEARL STREET. 



In 



emorram \ 



BRIEF WORDS AT THE FUNERAL 



OF 



•rev. $ol § ohtt Watte die § txpUv t §v. f 



St. Paul's Church, Tivoli, Duchess County, N. I 7 "., 
Tuesday, 15th April, 1873, 
by Rev. G. LEWIS PLATT, Rectok. 



"I have fought a good fight." — II. Timothy, iv. 7. 

"* * they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel. So he gat his people 
great honour, * * * " — I. Maccabees, iii., 2, 3. 

" For it is better for ns to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our 
people. * * * Nevertheless, as the will of God is in heaven, so let Him do." 

—I. Maccabees iii., 59, 60. 



When the announcement was made to me on Sun- 
day last, of the departure of our young friend whose 
mortal remains we are now to consign to the tomb, the 
thought came, forcibly to mind — his sun has gone 
down at noonday ! Thirty-one summers have lighted 
his pathway in life. At that age, we ordinarily look 
for the vigor and promise of earnest manhood. But 



1L 



God's ways are past finding out. In his prime he has 
been stricken — he has fallen ! We may well say : 

"He, the young and strong, who cherished 
Noble longings for the strife, 
By the roadside fell and perished, 
Weary with the march of life." 

As his long illness was beyond question the result 
of his patriotism, self-devotion, and endurance in our 
late civil war, it is but just and fitting that some 
mention should be made of his honorable services in 
that fearful struggle. 

He left his law studies in Columbia College early in 
the war, and volunteered as an Aid to General Philip 
Kearny. The bloody battle of Williamsburg was his 
first experience on the battle-field, and his general 
said of him that in it "he bore himself handsomely." 
Afterwards General Kearny said of him that he was 
"an excellent officer, and as brave as himself." This 
is great praise, for we all know that General Kearny 
was among "the bravest of the brave." Promoted to 
to a first lieutenancy in Scott's 900, his commander, 
Colonel Swain, "noticed and appreciated his zeal, 
intelligence and faithfulness," saw in him the promise 
of a most efficient cavalry officer, and expressed 
regret at losing him from his regiment when he was 
appointed a Major in the First New York Light Artil- 
lery. Here he served at Harrison's Landing, and 
"was present with his batteries during the famous 
night attack of the 31st of July, 1862." 

Stricken at length with malarial fever, he had just 



iii 



strength to reacli home, and for four months he had, 
as it were, a hand-to-hand struggle for life. But in 
the Spring of 1863, though by no means wholly 
recovered, he rejoined his command. At Chancellors- 
ville he was Chief of Artillery in Howe's 2d Division 
of the Sixth Corps under Sedgwick. His superior offi- 
cer, General Howe, reported that " Major de Peyster 
acquitted himself with honor, in the actions on the 3d 
and 4th of May, 1363." General Hooker wrote of him 
that "he was greatly distinguished for his gallantry 
and good conduct at AVilliamsburg," and "at Chan- 
cellorsville he was no less remarked for his coolness 
and courage," and he warmly recommended him for 
promotion as brevet lieutenant-colonel and colonel. 
But the young and devoted soldier never fully rallied 
from the disastrous effects of his late fever and other 
casualties, and, worn in body and spirit, he left his com- 
mand, with an honorable discharge as of 14th August, 
1863. He went on distant voyages, as far even as 
Japan, in hopes to find a restoration and re-animation 
to his failing powers, but in vain. Whilst on his last 
voyage, a friend and companion remarked one day 
his coolness and courage in a terrilic storm in the 
eastern seas, when all around him seemed to feel that 
there was no hope of rescue. Thus he was cool and 
brave in danger by land and sea. 

A prey to disease more or less from the time he left 
the army, he has just been called from among us. 
His long illness has been but a lingering death. The 
Latin poet says : 

"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori." 



iv 



If it is sweet and glorious to die for one's country, 
we may well say, he laid his young life on her altar 
in the hour of its deadly peril, and we gladly give 
him the meed of praise. Indeed, it does my heart 
good to speak loving words of him as one of the de- 
fenders of our national life ; for I cannot forget his 
manly devotion and his chivalrous daring. Too much 
honor can hardly be bestowed upon one who, with 
his life in his hand, goes forth to battle for his 
country in the hour of wrecking danger. From my 
heart I honor the patriot- warrior, and rank him near 
the fearless soldiers of the Cross. 

It was my happy privilege, some eight or ten 

weeks since, to meet our departed young friend at his 

father's residence in New York, and we spoke together 

with pleasure of the time when he was confirmed in 

old St. Paul's. We are certain that the recollection 

of those holy vows has often been a guide and shield 

to him in life. And here I may remark, as I am told, 

that his Bible and Prayer Book he has kept by choice 

on his table by his restless bedside. We say sadly, 

life to him had its bleak winter and its chill winds, 

"And the hopes of the youth fell thick in the blast, 
And the days were dark and dreary." 

But there is no night without a morning. His long 
years of suffering, his lingering death, have touched 
a chord of deep sympathy in our hearts, and in our 
neighborhood. Surely, God is a God that hides him- 
self. His kingdom and his ways are beyond our ken. 
But, we may be thankful, our times are in His hands, 
and we know that His mercies endure forever ! 



APPENDIX. 



THRENODY. 



STA VIATOR, HEROEM CALCAS ! 

(Inscription on the ilonvment to the Bavarian Marshal Mercy, vpon the Battle-field 
of Xordlingen ii., or AUerheim, where lie fell.) 

In the rear of St. Paxil's Church, in the town of Red Hook, 

S. N. Y., beneath the chancel window, is a monumental tablet, setting 

forth, in brief, the facts embodied more at large in the following pages, 

and, beneath, in the family vault of his father, Brev. Ma j. -Gen. John 

Watts de Peyster, rest the remains of a young hero, his eldest son, 

of whom it may truly be said 

" The greatest gitt a hero leaves his race, 
Is, to have been a hero ! " 

Brev. Col. JOHN WATTS de PEYSTER, Jr., Major 1?' N.Y. Art. 

" Oh, this boy 
Lends mettle to us all ! " 

— Shakespeare's Henry IV., Part i. v., 4. 

" It is held 
That valor is the chiefest virtue, and 
Most dignifies the haver ! " 

— Shakespeare's " Coriolanus" ii. 2. 

" The Grave ! That which allows of no grave— Fame." 

— Bui.wer's " Kenelm ChUiinaly." 

The subject of this memoir was a youth of high promise. Born at 
100 Leonard Street in the City of New York, on the 2d December, 
1841, a seven months' child, he nevertheless grew up a stalwart man in 
body and mind. An exceedingly handsome form, below the medium 
size, enshrined an intellect of more than ordinary ability, and a manly 
soul, which grew greater under the inspiration of danger. Endowed 
with a remarkable memory and reasoning powers of unusual per- 
ception, his love of books enabled him to store up a vast fund of in- 
formation, of which he was able to make instant and practical applica- 
tion. For instance, his was the best description of the first battle in 
which he participated — Williamsburg, written on the field — and his the 



vi 



best plan of it sketched the next day. Amid the multitude divided 
between the classes of " eyes and no eyes," he belonged to the smaller 
class who saw, and saw clearly, into everything passing about him. 
Foreign travel, under very favorable circumstances, did much to 
develop his mind, and a thirst for investigating causes and effects 
gradually made him not only an unusual critical historian, but a re- 
spectable chemist and mineralogist. In fact, he seemed to comprehend 
intuitively almost everything which excited his fancy. Manly among 
the manliest, he excelled in those sports which demand courage and 

corporeal exertion. His physician, T. J. B , who accompanied him, 

when an invalid, to Europe, always styled him " ' little game-cock,' as 
handsome as full of pluck." As a youth he always led. " He was the most 
precocious youth I ever met," was t he attest of an observant friend — " lie 
was a man while yet a boy." Few more expert riders ever backed a 
horse, and as an associate, as a swimmer, he would have delighted Byron, 
and would have been commemorated in such verses as those which 
refer to the poet's natatorial feats in the Venetian and Byzantine waters. 
On one occasion, as a youngster, he swam across the North River — 
fresh, not salt water, and therefore less buoyant — with such perfect 
ease, that, had he not been prevented, he would have repeated the feat. 
He was perfectly at home in the water. Among his early comrades he was 
invariably the head, and in the endurance of pain he was a youthful 
stoic. Such was his pride, that the most painful accident could not 
wring from him a tear, nor was his courage of the common kind that 
results from excitement or a mere desire for admiration. He was as 
cool and courageous in the dark, and under the most depressing circum- 
stance, as before the eyes of men, in the full blaze cf day. lie possessed, 
in the most extraordinary degree, that " muscle of the mind," which 
imparts the " courage to stand alone." To write his biography in 
the usual way, might lead to the suspicion that in it, the pen is obeying 
the adage that "nothing should be said of the dead but praise." 
Such an idea is farthest from the intention of the sorrowing but 
proud pen which prepares this record of a heroic boy and young 
man. Of all the manifold histories of the life of Martin Luther, the 
best is by Michelet, who has confined even his extraordinary ability to 
the collation of letters which present in the most vivid manner the 



vii 



outer and inner life of the intrepid reformer. Even so it is the inten- 
tion of this Appendix, merely to string together, with as little extraneous 
matter as possible, the testimonials of those who -watched with interest 
and feeling the career of this young man. 

When the Slaveholders' Rebellion became an accomplished fact, 
Jomsr Watts de Peyster, Jr., was a student at the Columbia College 
Law School. His next younger brother, Frederick de Peyster, Jr., 
(now Brev. Maj.U.S.V., andBrev. Col. N.Y.V.,) took the field at once, and 
at the first Bull Run showed himself among the bold men who proved 
that " Young America " at the North possessed the qualities that only 
require a little experience to develope into the bravest of soldiers. 
This fact, and others upon which it is unnecessary to dwell, among 
these, a hereditary tendency to chest and cognate diseases, determined 
his parents to endeavor to keep the eldest brother from the field. But 
he would not be restrained, and in March, 1862, he went off of his own 
accord, and against advice, to join his cousin, Major-General Philip 
Kearny, then commanding the First New Jersey Brigade, with his 
headquarters at Alexandria. He did not wait for a commission, but 
simply asked his famous cousin to place him in a position to be of 
service. Kearny accepted him as a volunteer aid, and soon came to 
love him as a son, and treat him as a severe but careful father, rather 
than a cousin. He took a pride in the young man of twenty, who had 
left the ease and luxuries of life, to lie out with him, a veteran, in the 
mud and " snow a foot deep ; " and the Volunteer Staff Officer soon 
became, not only a trusted Aid, but an appreciated associate. 

Many a night, when the commander was resting from his fatigues 
of mind and body, the Aid ministered to the amusement of the one 
from the vast storehouse of his memory, while he ministered to his 
material comforts. And then up with the dawn, and to horse ! Kearny 
was a hard master, but he developed the lad into a man. Unfortunately, 
the Aid did not possess the cast iron frame and constitution of the 
General, and there is no doubt that in the movements of the early 
spring of 18G2, and amid the privations which had become a second 
nature to Kearny, the foundation was laid for the attacks which, be- 
ginning in malarial fever, left little nerve force to fall back upon when 
new drafts were necessary upon the vital forces. 



Vlll 



Let us now see what old soldiers and superiors thought of this boy- 
colonel : 

Washington, D. C, April 15, 1873. 

My dear de Peyster : 

I have felt more than once that words of sympathy are grateful to 
those who suffer, however inadequately they may express the emotions 
that prompt them, and however far short they may fall of relieving or 
mitigating in any degree the sorrow which such a loss as you have met 
with inflicts. But what a satisfaction to know that your son possessed 
and displayed to the world those manly virtues of the chivalrous 
gentleman and gallant soldier ; and when he might have lived in ease 
and luxury, preferred to endure the hardships and privations which 
soldiers, even of the highest rank, are not exempt from, and in doing 
this, sacrificed his life through a long period of suffering, and sacrificed 
it from a sense of duty to his country — the very highest, the purest 
motive that can inspire man. 

These in time must become sources of consolation to you and to 
Mrs. de Peyster, although they may not now mitigate your grief at his 
loss. 

Assuring you of my warm sympathy in your sorrow, believe me to 
be, most sincerly your friend, 

A. A. HUMPHREYS* 

Ma.ior-Generai-, de Peyster, N. Y. 



Syracuse, N. Y., April 25, 1873. 

General : 

Before the receipt of yours I had noticed in the papers the death of 
your son, and with regret, since he [death] has been busy with those 
who were on my staff, either in the field or from diseases contracted 
therein. 

Your son joined my headquarters at Harrison's Landing, on the 
James, immediately after the " seven clays before Richmond," in which 
the division had acted on the advance from White Oak Swamp, and as 
the rear-guard of the Army of the Potomac from Malvern Hill to 
Harrison's Landing. 

He acted in the artillery, and also as Judge Advocate. The then 



* Chief of Engineers, U. S. A.; Briaj.-Gen., Brev. Maj.-Gen. U. S. A.; Chief of 
Staff, U. S. A., and Commander of the 2d-3d Corps, Army of the Potomac, 1863-1865. 



Brigadiers were all old officers of the army, and usually presided as 
Presidents of Courts, because of their experience. 

Although I have not seen your son since the summer of 1862, yet I 
remember him as a young officer of zeal and energy, and fired with a 
patriotic ambition for the Union. 

My division papers passed into other hands on my promotion to the 
United States forces south of the James River, Suffolk, Va., and hence 
my inability to write more specifically. 

I am very respectfully your obedient servant, 

(Signed,) PECK* 



Litchfield, Conn., May 11, 1873. 

General : 

On my return to this place last evening, 1 found your note of the 
3d inst., with inquiries in reference to your son, formerly of the 
Volunteer Service during the late rebellion. I regret to say that my 
contact and intercourse with him was so brief that I am unable to 
recall any incidents connected with the officers of that period. I only 
remember him as a man of gentlemanly bearing, an intelligent, prom- 
ising officer, having the confidence of those with whom he served. 
But for promises made prior to my knowledge of your son, he would 
have been offered the appointment of Aid de-Camp on my personal 
staff. 

I sympathize sincerely with you in your affliction. 
Respectfully yours, 

(Signed,) H. W. WESSELS, 

Brev. Brig.-Gen., U. S. A. 

Gen'l J. Watts de Peyster, N. Y. 



New Orleans, May 11, 1873. 

My dear Sir : 

I met your gallant son frequently in the Peninsular Campaign of 
1862, and was always much prepossessed with his gallant bearing and 
intelligent conversation. But I am not familiar with any incident 



* Maj.-Gen. U. S. V., commanding in 1862, 2d Division, 4th Army Corps, Army of 
the Potomac. 



X 



connected with his military career, being in a different arm of the 
service, and not meeting on the field of battle. He was, I know, greatly 
beloved and respected. 

Very truly yours, 

(Signed,) W. H. EMORY, 

Brev. Maj.-Gen., U. S. A. 



Bi.oomingdale * * * K Y. , May 31, 1873. 
Friend de Peyster — 

Dear Sir : The Colonel is much in my thoughts, and I wish I had 
written down some of his remarks, for at times he was quite com- 
municative and interesting. How wonderfully he bore up during his 
sickness ! without a complaint or a murmur. 

I am truly yours, (Signed,) W. G. VERPLANCK. 



Roslyn, L. I., July 5, 1873. 

My dear Friend : 

It was a singular mistake which I made in my last letter by con- 
doling you upon the supposed loss of your son. I was misinformed 
until I received your reply. Your son — the General — I had known from 
his boyhood, and regarded with great esteem; but his son — your grand- 
son, I did not know until I received your letter. Your description of 
him endears him to my affection and regrets. He sacrificed his young 
life for the salvation of the Republic. He was a patriot by the highest, 
attestation he could give. His was a purely disinterested patriotism. 
What but love of country could urge him to leave a home of opulence, 
and brave a malarial exposure in the swamps of Virginia ? Certainly, 
the remote prospect of military promotion would have been an in- 
sufficient inducement to hazard health and life by contracting a disease 
which was lingering but fatal. Tlie ultimate certainty of the result 
must have been foreseen by his friends, though not the shock of his 
sudden departure. But reflection upon his noble, self-sacrificing career, 
combined with a knowledge of his social virtues and a trust in God, 
will bring surely to the bereaved a calm resignation to His will as the 
true source of consolation. 

With cordial sincerity, I am, as always, your friend, 
JOSEPH W. MOULTON, 

[Historian, etc.] 

Frederick de Peystek, LL.D. 



xi 



Having thus presented a number of letters to serve as an introduc- 
tion, and as an index to the character of the subject of this memorial, 
no better supplement thereto can be prepared than the obituary notice 
whose appearance in the New York Evening Mail of 24th April, 1873, 
is due to the affection and regard of its able editor, Major J. Bundy, 
who was the more interested in the dead from his connection with the 
Colonel's father, his well-known correspondent, "Anchor." 

John Watts de Peyster, Junior, afterwards Brevet Colonel U. S. V., 
joined his cousin, Major-General Philip Kearny, and as his Volunteer Aid 
accompanied him in one of the first movements of the campaign of 1862. 
He was present at the so-styled siege of Yorktown, and distinguished 
himself in his first battle of Williamsburg, in some respects the most 
notable and glorious contest of the war. In it, according to the veteran 

Col. A M , Watts did the coolest thing he ever saw done upon 

the battle field * — a conduct for a lad and green soldier so remarkable, he 
referred to it again and again. 

In his official report, General Kearny says : 

" My volunteer aid, Mr. Watts de Peyster, bore himself handsomely, 
in this, his first action." 

In letters and conversation Kearny stated that he had restrained him- 
self in expression on account of consanguinity — for Kearny loved his 
Aid like a son — but to a veteran officer he added : 

" Watts de Peyster was a very brave young man, as brave as himself 
(Kearny), but that he did not shun danger enough ; that it w r as a won- 
der he did not get killed from his unnecessary exposure — and a very 
correct young man." 

J. Watts de Peyster, Jr., left Kearny's staff at the period of the battle 
of Seven Pines or Fair Oaks, having already won the reputation, to use 
the words of a brother Aid (who had seen world-wide service under the 
boldest), that " he was as brave as they make them ; there is no dis- 
count on that." 



* This coolness seems to have been born in him and grown with him. and was 
manifested amid the greatest perils by land and flood. When quite a boy, Watts de 
Peyster accompanied his brother Frederic, (afterwards Brevet Major U. S. V., and 
Brevet Col. N. Y. V.) also their preceptor, an old soldier distinguished on many fields, 
to visit a coal mine. The party penetrated so far, and remained so long, that their 
candles gave out, and, amid the darkness which could almost be felt, all except Watts 
became very nervous. He, however, so far from feeling any such a sensation, 
actually seemed to enjoy the situation as one which could solve a question in regard 
to the sagacity of mules. " I have heard," said he, " that if people will trust to their 
mules, they are very sagacious animals and will find their way out." This reassured 
the party, and the mules did bring them out. The preceptor took prompt occasion to 
advise his father of the perfect fearlessness of Watts on this occasion. 



xii 



Kearny sent him home — to use his own words— because he had 
" done enough for grandeur," and that he " should not be shot at any 
more without a commission." 

He was then appointed First Lieutenant in the Eleventh New York 
Cavalry, Scott's 900, and this is the testimony of his Colonel, James B. 
Swain, as to his conduct while with this command : 

" I take pleasure in saying that I have a distinct (and I may add very 
favorable) recollection of your son, Watts de Peyster. He was but a 
short time under my command, as he was promoted to a Majority soon 
after he reported for duty with my regiment ; but I had occasion to 
notice and appreciate his zeal, intelligence, faithfulness and integrity. 
I had occasion afterwards to regret his promotion to another regiment, 
as a loss to the company which he commanded in my regiment, for I 
felt that with experience, (which he was rapidly acquiring,) he would 
have been one of the best of cavalry officers." 

On the 26th of June, 1863, he was promoted Major of the First New 
York Volunteer Artillery, returned to the Peninsula, served a short 
time on the staff of Major-General Peck, was present with his batteries 
during the famous night attack of the 31st July, 1861, upon our lines, 
behaving, as he always did, with a coolness and courage that always 
was remarked. He won golden opinions from those with whom he 
was brought in contact, and returned home with so severe an attack of 
the James River fever that for several months it was questionable 
whether he could possibly recover. 

Long before he was fit for active duty he hastened back to the field, 
and was attached, as Chief of Division Artillery, to the staff of as in- 
domitable an officer as ever issued an order or marshalled an array — 
Albion P. Howe. 

General Howe's attest is in itself a sufficient monument. His words 
are worthy of note and reflection : 

" I commanded the Second Division * of the Sixth Corps in the Army 



* Composition of 2d Division, 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac,— Major-General 
Albion P. Howe, Commanding,— in the Battles of the 2d-3d^lth May, 1863, on the 
Heights of Fredericksburg, in the campaign of Chancellorsville. 

Artillery Brigade—Major J. Watts de Peyster, Jr., Com'd'g.— Battery F, TJ. S. 
Art'y ; 1st N. Y. Battery. 

First Brigade— detached with provisional " Light Division," so styled. (See Stevens' 
" Three Years in the Sixth Corps," page 192.) 

Second Brigade— Col. L. A. Grant, Com'd'g.— 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th and 6th Regiments 
Vermont, and 26th New Jersey Vols. [There was no finer Brigade than this "1st 
Vermont" (so styled) in the army. Its record is unsurpassed.] 

Third Brigade— Brig. -Gen. T. H. Niell, Com'd'g.— 20th, 33d, 49th and 77th Regi- 
ments New York, 21st New Jersey, and 7th Maine Vols. 



Xlll 



of the Potomac, from the fall of 1862 until the spring of 1864. Colonel 
J. Watts de Peyster, Jr., of the New York Artillery; reported to me, 
under the orders of Major-General Hooker, commanding the Army of 
the Potomac, for duty as Chief of Artillery of the Division, early in 
the year of 1863. At the time Colonel de Peyster joined my Division, 
he was suffering from impaired health, brought on by exposure in the 
field and in camp. On the 2d of May, 1863, when the Sixth Corps 
crossed the Rappahannock to join in the operations known as the 
battle of Chancellorsville, Col. de Peyster's health was too much im- 
paired to make it prudent for him to participate in the operations then 
to commence. I understood it then to be the opinion of the Medical 
Director of the Division, that Col. de Peyster could not engage in 
active operations without great peril of permanent injury to his health. 
It was, however, Col. de Peyster's wish and determination to move 
with the Division when it crossed the Rappahannock ; and on the 2d 
of May, 1863, he crossed the Rappahannock on duty as Chief of Artil- 
lery of the Division. He was actively employed on the afternoon of 
the 2d and all of the night of the 2d and 3d of May, in moving the artil- 
lery and in bringing it into position before the Heights of Fredericks- 
burg. On the 3d of May the Division was engaged in taking the Heights 
of Fredericksburg known as Marye's Heights, and in this engagement 
the artillery played a most important part, and was handled with a de- 
gree of skill, energy and efficiency that commanded universal commen- 
dation. On this occasion Colonel de Peyster distinguished himself for 
his great gallantry and marked efficiency, and it was a matter of sur- 
prise to me that Colonel de Peyster was able, from the known condition 
of his health, to stand up under the extraordinary exertions that he 
made in taking Marye's Heights. After the operations above referred 
to, Colonel de Peyster was actively employed all that clay and the fol- 
lowing night in his duties as Chief of Artillery of the Division. On the 
4th of May the Division acted by itself and was twice engaged. 

" On the afternoon of that day it was attacked by three divisions of 
the enemy, and its glorious success in repulsing the attacks and main- 
taining intact the Sixth Corps was largely due to the determined reso- 
lution, efficiency and noble conduct of the artillery under Colonel de 
Peyster. 

" For three successive nights (the 2d, 3d, and 4th of May) and the two 
intervening days the tax upon Colonel de Peyster's strength in the 
amount of duty he performed and the zeal and energy he displayed in 
executing it was sufficient to have broken down almost any man of good 
physical health and strength, and the fact that Colonel de Peyster was 
able, in the then condition of his health, to continue his efforts as long 
as he did, furnishes a striking illustration of the power of mind and 
indomitable will over an enfeebled bod}'. 



xiv 



" On the morning of the oth of May the Division recrossed the Rappa- 
hannock with the Army of the Potomac, and upon the first opportunity 
for rest the powers of mind and body of Colonel de Peyster gave way, 
and he sank under his over exertions, from which he has never re- 
covered. 

" The chivalric gallantry of character and the patriotic devotion to 
duty which led Colonel de Peyster, in the voluntary performance of 
more than duty, to sacrifice upon the altar of his country his health and 
the bright promise of a noble manhood, justly entitle him to the favora- 
ble consideration of his government and the kind consideration of his 
countrymen." 

Were it necessary to strengthen such a testimonial, the following is 
sufficient. It is from the pen of one who, on the battle-field — the su- 
preme ordeal which tests men — proved himself everywhere always every 
inch a man — Brig. Gen. Joshua T. Owens : 

"Upon my learning, the other evening, that Gen. Howe's Chief of 
Artillery was your (Gen. de P.'s) son, I quickly determined to recall, as 
well as I could, my observations of Howe's fight on Maryland Heights, 
which was the concluding one of those series of actions which will be 
known in history as the ' Battle of Chancellorsville.' 

" I was posted with my command, the Second Brigade, Second Divi- 
sion, Second Corps, at Bank's Ford, under orders to hold the position, 
and to cover certain pontoons which were thrown across the river at 
that point. 

" When I found that Gen. Sedgwick had advanced with his corps to 
Salem Heights, and that he was confronted there by the main portion 
of Lee's army, I became anxious to communicate with him, and there- 
fore crossed the river, and soon visited him and received his orders. 
I was directed to make myself thoroughly conversant with the nature 
of the ground lying to the rear of Gen. Sedgwick's line of battle and 
to the front of the position where I had established my troops, but 
especially to communicate with Gen. Howe, and explain to him when 
and how I was posted with my command. I immediately passed down 
the Sixth Corps line, until I reached Howe's, position, which was 
the extreme left. 

" I give these details simply to account for my presence there. When 
I arrived, the enemy was preparing to attack Howe's position. It 
seemed to me to be a critical one. He did not have troops enough to 
form one continuous line along his whole front, and he was forced to 
avail himself of the broken nature of the ground and to make the most 
use of his artillery, of which he appeared to have plenty. His line 
appeared to me to be composed of a serious of projected batteries, each 
supported by small bodies of men lying on the ground. After coriclud- 



XV 



iag ray interview with the General I turned to leave, when he remarked, 
' Hold on a bit, Owen, and you'll see some fun.' 

" I did hold on. though somewhat reluctantly, for the fire of the skir- 
mishers was becoming quite warm, and I began to think it was time 
for me to rejoin my own command. 

" In that supreme moment just preceding the impetuous charge, when 
each line is scanning the other and estimating the chances of success — 
when the air is surcharged with hissing shot and screeching shells, and 
the death struggle is on the eve of being begun — then I saw a youthful 
officer riding in great haste far to the front and directing the unlimber- 
ing of a battery which had been ordered to that hazardous position in 
order to give a greater sweep for its guns. Soon the enemy's line began 
to advance — the glistening bayonets of his far reaching ranks gave 
warning of his purpose to charge, and the batteries were ordered to 
open fire. On came the rebel troops. Shell, and shot, and bullet, open 
great gaps in his lines, but quickly the ranks closed again. Elbow to 
elbow, shoulder to shoulder, they come, as American troops alone can 
come, unbroken and determined. The advance battery is reached — 
it is captured! Heavens and earth, what is that '? A regiment sud- 
denhy rises and delivers its volley full in the faces of the exultant foe. 
The battery is retaken, and the enemy's advance is checked. One after 
another the regiments rise from their prostrate position and deliver 
their death-dealing fire, and, as I subsequently learned, Howe utterly' 
and completely repulsed the enemy's attack and won the day. 

" To your son, Colonel de Peyster, much praise is due for his admira- 
ble management of his artillery. You have reasons to be proud of 
him." 

Besides this we have the testimony of Major General Shaler, well 
known to our citizens as the present Commander of the First Division, 
N. Y. S. N. G. He was, in 1863, commanding a brigade in the Third 
Division of the Sixth Corps. 

" lam not aware of the name of the officer who commanded Howe's 
Division Artillery, but all that I can say is that he did his duly well, and 
covered the retreat of the Sixth Corps in the most admirable manner. 
Had not Howe been the obstinate and superior officer he ever proved 
himself to be, the Sixth Army Corps would have ' gone in' under the 
rebel pressure at the Bank's Ford. Howe fought his division with dis- 
tinguished ability and tenacity , and the combined action of his infantry and 
Chief of Artillery deserves the highest praise for the admirable manner 
in which they discharged their responsible duties. The Howe Division 
Artillery was handled with great gallantry and effect, and, in conjunc- 
tion with its infantry supports, they together had a marked effect in 
preserving the Sixth Corps, and in enabling it to make a successful re- 
trograde in the face of a victorious (as to general results) enemy. 



xvi 

" Howe's guns were distinctly heard on our (Shaler's Brigade, New- 
ton's Division) left on the afternoon of the 4th (May, 1863), covering 
Ihe retreat. The rebels got in our rear, retook the Marye's Heights, and 
came near cutting off the Federal retreat. Had we had a less resolute 
man than Howe (to cover the retreat) it would have been ' all up ' with 
the Sixth Corps. This was common talk in camp." 

Finally, let the reader dwell upon the words of the " magnificent 
hero of the battle above the clouds," Joseph Hooker, than whom ex- 
ists no finer appreciator or nobler judge of all the qualities which are 
requisite to make up a soldier and an officer : 

" Permit me to recommend Major J. W. de Peyster for promotion to 
the brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. 

" Major de Peyster entered the service as an Aid-de-Camp to Major- 
General Kearny, and was greatly distinguished for gallantry and good 
conduct in the battle of Williamsburg. Subsequently he served under 
me at the battle of Chaucellorsville, where he was no less remarked 
for his coolness and courage, and is, in my judgment, eminently 
deserving the distinction requested for him." 

He was accordingly brevetted Lieutenant-Colonel, and then Colonel, 
U. S. Volunteers, and also Colonel New York Volunteers. 

Col. De Peyster left the army a confirmed invalid. Concussion of 
the brain, fever, and an enfeebled constitution, realized in him that it 
is indeed more of a soldier's duty "to suffer" than " to fight." For 
ten years he fought disease with the pluck and will he displayed on 
the battle-field. Not only on land, but on sea, and under every circum- 
stance of peril, he was equally fearless. According to a companion, a 
brother officer, in a cyclone in the Eastern Ocean, when the sea knocked 
the whole poop two inches out of plumb, and every one on board 
thought destruction inevitable, he came to his former self, and cool and 
dauntless, seemed only to admire the magnificent terribleness of the 
storm. But foreign travel, including a voyage round the world and a 
visit to Japan, at as early a date as its capital was open to our people, 
could not alleviate his torments or mitigate his disease. Day by day 
life ebbed away, and despite all the efforts of science, the gentle 
nursing, the appliances of the amplest means, and the unflinching 
energy of an iron nature, he gradually sank into the grave, having as 
truly as any hero who died in battle, given his young life for his 
country. To use the words of a letter, he was " brave, fearless, self- 
collected, and an elegant gentleman ;" yes, " an elegant, chivalric little 
gentleman," polished and graceful to the last, and replete with 
manliness until 

" Opened, and iiash'd upon the mortal's eye 
The Morning Land of Immortality." 



XV 11 



As soon as his death became known, the Unions or Societies of the 
two Corps with which he had been connected, the Third and the Sixth 
— the Fourth having soon ceased to exist in our Eastern Army — 
unanimously adopted the following Resolutions in regard to their 
deceased comrade. 

At the Annual Meeting of the Third Corps Union, (" the glorious 
old fighting Third Corps as ice understand it,") held May 5th, 1873, in 
New York City, the following Resolutions were passed : 

Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God, in His wisdom, to visit with 
affliction our worthy companion General J. Watts de Peyster, an 
(the first) Honorary Member of the Third Corps Union, in the death of 
his eldest son, Colonel J. Watts de Peyster ; and 

Whereas, Col. de Peyster participated with the Third Army Corps 
at, the battle of Williamsburg, on the 5th day of May, 1862, as Aid-de- 
Canip on the Staff of General Philip Kearny, commanding the First 
Division ; therefore be it 

Resolved, That the members of the Third Corps Union tender their 
sincere and heartfelt sympathy in this, his hour of trial and bereavement. 

Resolved, That we remember with pride and satisfaction, his dis- 
tinguished gallantry at Williamsburg, and we record with pleasure his 
duties faithfully and well performed during our long struggle for 
freedom. That we regret that an impaired constitution, from faithful 
service and devotion to his beloved country, should so soon succumb 
to disease, and he be removed from his comrades by death. 

Resolved, That the preamble and resolutions be spread at length upon 
the records, and that the Secretary send a copy of the same to the 
family of our deceased comrade. 

Presented by Col. B. T. Morgan, and passed unanimously, and 
entered upon the minutes, of which this is a correct copy. 

(Signed,) Edwahd L. Welling, 

Secretary Third Army Corps Union. 



XV111 



In regard to the action of the Sixth Corps, the following notice 
appeared in the Army and Navy Journal, June (5th, 1874 : 

In the Journal of June 7, 1873, was published a set of handsome res- 
olutions adopted by the Third Army Corps Union, at their annual 
meeting, May 5, 1873, in regard to their comrade, this young New 
Yorker, (Colonel John Watts de Peyster, Jr.) 

As men and events, the one dead and the others past, are so soon 
forgotten in the whirl of the present, it may be as well to quote as an 
introduction a few words in regard to Colonel de Peyster, from the 
opinions of superiors. General Kearny, while attesting his peculiar 
bravery, dwelt even more forcibly on his principles and character ; Co- 
lonel Swain " felt that with experience, (which he was rapidly acquiring) 
he would have been one of the best of cavalry officers ; " General Peck 
" remembered him as a young officer of zeal, energy, and fired with a 
patriotic ambition for the Union ; " General Wessels, " with whom he 
served as judge-advocate, recalled him as a man of gentlemanly bearing, 
and an intelligent, promising officer, having the confidence of those 
with whom he served ;" the veteran commander of the noble Nineteenth 
Army Corps, the gallant Emory, was " always much prepossessed with 
his gallant bearing and intelligent conversation ; " Hooker, soldier and. 
general, noble and observant, complimented him as "greatly distin- 
guished " for " gallantry and good conduct, " and " no less remarked 
for his coolness and courage ;" Owens, who saw him in a tight place, 
and "held on a bit" at great risk to himself, to see him develope his 
powers there, considered him " a soldier of great force inaction, and 
capable, by his personal heroism, of inspiring others with his own fiery 
courage ;" Shaler wrote, "that he did his duty well, handling his artil- 
lery with great gallantry and effect." Finally, the indomitable Howe, 
commanding the Second Division, Sixth Corps, in an official paper, closes 
with words which can never be forgotten by the family of the fallen : 
" The chivalric gallantry of character, and the patriotic devotion to 
duty, which led Colonel de Peyster, in the voluntary performance of 
more than duty, to sacrifice upon the altar of his country his health 
and the bright promise of a noble manhood, justly entitle him to the 
favorable consideration of his Government, and the kind consideration 
of his countrymen." 

The following beautiful resolutions, " adopted unanimously " by the 
Society of the Sixth Army Corps, are a response, as it were, to the spirit 
of the chivalric tribute of Howe. They have afforded pleasure in their 
manly sympathy and feeling expression to a narrowing circle of the 
relatives and friends of a young man whose career of glory and useful- 
ness was to close in his twenty-second year, and be followed in conse- 



xix 



quence of " more than duty, " by ten years of such unintermitted 
suffering, as seldom falls to the lot of man ; a period of ten years, which 
" was one long hopeless struggle of unyielding constancy against the 
unrelaxing siege of death. " 

At the meeting of the Society of the Sixth Corps, held at New Haven, 
Conn., May 14, 1873, the death of Colonel John Watts de Peyster, Jr., 
was announced by the President of the Society, and, on motion, a com- 
mittee was appointed to draft resolutions expressive of the sense of the 
society. Committee in accordance with said motion respectfully sub- 
mitted the following report : 

Whereas, Since our meeting at Cleveland, Ohio, (1872) it hath pleased the Almighty 
to remove by death one of the gallant soldiers of the Sixth Army Corps, our comrade 
Colonel John Watts de Peyster, Jr., who (although not connected with our society by 
reason of disease contracted in the war, which prevented an active participation with 
his comrades in their annual remembrances,) was dear to all the members of the 
(Sixth) Corps for his faithful devotion to the service of his country ; and 

Whereas, Colonel de Peyster's services during the fearful struggle in which this 
corps was engaged for the Nation's existence, entitles him to a high position as an 
officer of the staff, and of the artillery, of the latter of which he was Chief of a 
Division ; therefore 

Resolved, That in the death of Colonel John Watts de Peyster, Jr., the Sixth Corps 
has experienced the loss of a comrade distinguished for his sterling qualities and 
devotion to duty. 

Resolved, That though no words of ours can add to the distinguished record he 
achieved, the Society of the Sixth Corps deplore his loss, and kindly offer their con- 
dolence to the relatives of the deceased. 

Resolved, That a copy of this report be published in the proceedings of the society, 
and also be forwarded to the family of the deceased. 

J. W. Latta, ) 

David J. Nevins, [-Committee. 

Samuel Truesdell, ) 

Harrisburg, Pa., May 12, 1874. 



Finally, as a fitting close to all these consoling remembrances, ar- 
rives the perfect letter of Major-Geueral Albion P. Howe, the immedi- 
ate superior of Col. de Peyster in his hardest fight, — a letter grand in 
its manliness, touching in its sympathy. 

Louisville, June 15th, 1874. 

My Dear Friend : 

Yours of the 31st May has just reached me, and 
I regret very much that your previous letters that you refer to have 
not been received. 



XX 



I only heard of the Colonel's death some time after its occurrence, 

and its announcement filled me with sorrow and sadness, — sorrow he- 
cause of the great and irreparable loss to you of so noble a son, and 
sadness because of the great gap which his fall has made in the line of 
quick spirits, of which there are comparatively so few.* 

I was particularly pained at his death, because I know that the cause 
of his early fall originated when he was on duty with me. I know 
that the high aspirations of his gallant spirit and noble manhood led 
him on beyond the bounds of his physical powers, and he has fallen, 
a self-sacrifice to high principle and patriotic duty. Had he done less 
than he did, his proud and noble spirit would not have been satisfied, 
and in giving his life a willing sacrifice to his country, he has fallen 
nobly and gloriously. 

I would gladly have expressed to you the deep sympathy I felt for 
you in the great loss that you have sustained, but I felt that there was 
no form of words by which I could express to you the sorrow and 
sympathy that I felt, without intruding upon the sacredness of your 
grief. 

I should be most glad to meet you here or in New York, and hope 
that I may have that gratification ere long. 

Sincerely, your friend, 

(Signed) A. P. HOWE. 

Gen'l J. Watts de Peyster, 
New York. 



* Of the numerous relations and connections of Colonel de Peyster who served in 
the Loyal Army, three cousins lost their lives in consequence of wounds. Major- 
General Philip Kearny at Chantilly ; Lt.-Col. Philip John Kearny at Gettysburg : 
and Richard Varick de Peyster in North Carolina. Of the Colonel's brothers, one, 
Colonel Frederic de Peyster, Jr., is fast following him, from chest disease, first de- 
veloped on the Peninsula in 1862, and his sole remaining brother, Colonel Johnston 
L. de Peyster, is suffering severely, as he has suffered for ten years, from the effects of 
malarial fever, the result of service along the James River in 1864-5. Another cousin, 
1st Sergeant William R. Whitmarsh, had a terrible ordeal in the "inferno "of the 
prison pens of Texas. This list might be swelled with the names of others who 
suffered from wounds or disease, if this is insufficient to attest the patriotism and 
gallantry of a race who never flinched in the hour of trial, but were prompt to risk 
property, position and life on the altar of duty, even although it entailed, as in olden 
time, exile, confiscation of princely fortunes, wounds, and loss of life. As an example, 
the Colonel's great-great-grandfather died in exile, as did tnany other relations, whose 
property was swept away by confiscation. His great-grandfather, Frederic de Peyster, 
was severely wounded, and of three great-uncles, one lost his life, one lost his leg and 
a third was stricken down for dead, but recovered, on the field of battle, upholding 
the government to which they owed allegiance. 



\ 



SUPPLEMENT. 



RICHARD VARICK de PEYSTER, 

(First Cousin of J. Watts de Peyster, Jr.) 



From the "Evening Mail." New York. Monday, March 30th, 1874. 

OBITUARY. 

"Died suddenly, on Tuesday, 27th inst !" Such is the brief news- 
paper notice in regard to Richard Varick de Peyster, who deserves a 
longer obituary. No ; not suddenly ! For although the end indeed, 
came unexpectedly to one of the manliest of men, he had been slowly 
dying for twelve years. He was the second of the name who paid for 
a few short months of patriotic devotion with double as many years of 
agony. The writer will not attempt to describe what tortures this 
American soldier underwent in his sad, long journey towards the goal 
of repose. He will simply reproduce what was written of him twelve 
years ago, when, full of buoyant courage, he went forth to do his best 
endeavors to assist in preserving the Union. 

Richard Varick de Peyster was the eldest son of F. Augustus de 
Peyster, in his day a noted ship-master of this port, (and at the close of 
his life for many years Superintendent of the Sailors' Snug Harbor on 
Staten Island.) 

Of his son Richard, just deceased, Headly, at page 416, presents the 
following notice in his " Massachusetts in the Rebellion :" 

" This regiment presents, as do so many others, noteworthy instances 
of the patriotic devotion of Massachusetts men. [This is a mistake ; 
de Peyster was a New Yorker by birth, education, residence, the 
seventh generation resident, and the sixth born in that city. His 
enlistment in Boston was the result of accident, or rather grew out of 
his rejection elsewhere on account of his extreme short-sightedness.] 
Richard V. de Peyster gave up a good salary, and came from New 
York to Boston to enlist in the Forty-fourth Regiment. He was 



rejected by the surgeon for near-sightedness, as he had been before by 
the surgeon of the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts ; but not daunted by 
this rejection, he made a bargain with Captain Smith, of Company 
H, to go as a volunteer-private without bounly, without pay, even 
paying all li is personal expenses. In selecting a few of the most 
trustworthy men to act as stretcher bearers, Col. Lee included de 
Peyster ; and, in the discharge of his duty, at the fight near Williamston, 
the lost his arm." 

One of his Regiment, writing home fiom Newbern, N. C. , Nov. 13, 
1862, mentions him as follows : 

" But two of our men were wounded in actual fight, (the skirmish at 
Tranters's Creek, between Washington, Nov. 3d, and a point ten miles 
from Tarboro, Nov. 6th) ; but the most unfortunate thing was the 
wounding of de Peyster, who was searching for the same wounded man 
(whom the captain was trying to rescue out of the creek, since he had 
been shot in the water.) You will remember him (de Peyster) as one 
of whom I spoke, never grumbling, always ready, and in every way a 
model soldier. He was wounded through both parts of the arm, 
shattering both bones. His arm (the left) was amputated just above 
the elbow. He is cheerful now, but will probably feel the loss of his 
arm more and more day by day." 

He did, indeed, "feel the loss of his arm, more and more, clay by 
day." The amputation, hurriedly performed, necessarily so on the 
field, was a "clumsy operation." Some of the nerves were taken up 
with the arteries, and the result was continued and intense suffering 
for twelve years. "When he was hit he was lying on a stretcher 
resting, after having plunged in to save a wounded comrade whom he 
had withdrawn from the water, but not until life was extincl. In this 
recumbent position the same bullet which shattered his left arm, first 
passed lengthwise diagonally ihrough the left thigh, entering below 
and issuing above the knee. The left arm was taken off near the 
shoulder. 

Thus suddenly the end came at last, and " after life's fitful fever he 
sleeps well," in that lie is relieved from such a burthen of cruel 
recompense as seldom falls to the lot of a brave soldier, even in this 
country, so forgetful of her defenders, unless politicians can turn their 
services and their wounds to account and make them available for the 
interests of ring, clique, or party. 



W. J. 



